Adolph Villiger and Fhlisity Nurdin Villiger

In my last post I mentioned that the Villiger clan always gathered at my grandparents for Thanksgiving and at Aunt Fhilisity's for Christmas. Her first husband was my grandfather's youngest brother, Adolph William Villiger. They married on 2 August 1916. After Adolph died in 1948 she married Dan Louby and continued hosting everyone for Christmas.

Adolph Villiger and Fhilisity Nurdin Villiger

This photo of Uncle Adolph and Aunt Phlisity was taken shortly after their marriage.

Mom said all the Villiger men were mechanically inclined, except her father. He couldn't fix anything, but was wonderful with people. Uncle Adolph was the opposite. For many years he was the sales and service manager at a large Ford dealership.

Christmas at the Villigers

When I was a child we'd visit the grandparents at Christmastime. We'd always visit Mom's parents at Christmas so we could eat with Mom's extended family at the big gathering at Aunt Phlisity's (my grandma hosted Thanksgiving). A few days after Christmas we'd drive to Barry and have a second Christmas with Dad's parents.

There was always a village under the Villiger Christmas tree. Grandma would spread cotton batting like snow and set up the buildings. There was a church with an internal light that gleamed yellow through the windows. I guess over the years the buildings broke and were thrown out. Somehow I wound up with the green fence that was part of the scene. 

After Grandma died Mom gave me one of their Christmas ornaments. It sits on top of a branch or hangs from one, and I love it.

I'd like to say I remember it on Grandma and Grandpa's tree, but I don't. I remember wax ornaments. Grandma let me take them off the tree and play with them. I loved the little Santas and angels, though they were chipped and scuffed. I couldn't break them or hurt them. No one else had ornaments like these, and I've seen none since. The adults told me that only wax ornaments were available during World War 2.

Writing this prompted me to look on e-bay. I just bought two wax Santa Clauses just like Grandmas. I've never seen them for sale before. Maybe someday I'll find an angel.

The Carl Rudolph Villiger Photo Archive

Welcome to the Carl Rudolph Villiger Photo Archive. He was my grandpa, my mother's mother, and a warm, wonderful man. A grocer in East St. Louis, he loved drumming with the Shriners. He was stricken with debilitating Parkinson's disease so I never saw him in parades, I'm sad to say.

He married Anna Mae McClelland, who raised chickens in her backyard for him to sell and worked with him in his store.  You can see photos of her family and relatives at another blog, the Anna Mae McClelland Photo Archive.

I'll polish this blog after the holidays, but in the meantime, here's a photo of him in his grade school class in Red Bud, Randolph County, Illinois.

On the back, in my mother's handwriting, is:

Carl Rudolph Villiger

3rd from right front row

1904-1905

Born July 24, 1890 Red Bud, Illinois

Moved to St. Louis 1905

E St Louis 1905